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Mary McLeod Bethune founded the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School in 1904.[3] The school underwent several stages of growth and development through the years and in 1923, it merged with the Cookman Institute of Jacksonville, Florida and became a co-ed high school. A year later in 1924, it became affiliated with the Methodist Church. By 1931, the school had become a junior college.

The school became a four-year college in 1941 when the Florida Board of Education approved a 4-year baccalaureate program in Liberal Arts and Teacher Education. The name was changed to Bethune-Cookman College.

On February 14, 2007, the Board of Trustees approved the name Bethune-Cookman University after the institution established its first graduate program.

Bethune retired in 1942, at which time James A. Colston became president. In 1946 Bethune resumed the presidency for a year.

Richard V. Moore, Sr. became president in 1947. Under his tenure the college was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1970. It joined the United Negro College Fund and other academic and professional organizations. The curriculum expanded, student enrollment increased, and new buildings were constructed for residential housing and classrooms.

Oswald P. Bronson, Sr., a B-CU alumnus, served as the fourth president of the college from 1975 to 2004. During his tenure increased student enrollment led to continuous development and expansion of the college. A rapidly increasing student enrollment led to construction of more student housing, classroom buildings, and the Mary Mcleod Bethune Auditorium. Major fields of study increased from 12 in 1974 to 37 by 2003. In addition, seven continuing education centers were established throughout the state. While maintaining accreditation by SACS, Florida Board of Education, and the United Methodist Church Board of Higher Education, the college added new accreditation in the Nursing and the Teacher Education programs.

In August 2004, Trudie Kibbe Reed was appointed to the presidency. She was the first woman president since Bethune. Campus improvements have included construction of the Center for Civic Engagement, the L. Gale Lemerand School of Nursing, the creation of the Alexis Pugh and Eugene Zimmerman Scholarship houses, and the provision of a university-owned house as an alumni center during her tenure. Reed also established the university's first graduate program under the School of Graduate & Professional Studies: a Master of Science in Transformative Leadership.

Dr. Edison O. Jackson was appointed as the university's interim president in May 2012. Jackson was appointed to the presidency in May 2013 and is committed to serve a 3-year term.

Bethune-Cookman University is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and participates in NCAADivision I FCS. The school sponsors basketball, bowling, baseball, cross country, football, track and field and volleyball. The Wildcats joined the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 1979. The Wildcats have 29 MEAC titles; 13 in baseball, 1 in bowling, 1 in men's cross country, 2 in women's cross country, 3 in football, 2 in women's indoor track and field, 5 in softball and 2 in women's tennis.

B-CU has an intense in-state rivalry with Florida A&M University. Today, they meet annually in the Florida Classic, a regular-season, neutral-Bethune-Cookman's first win came a year later, 12-0 in 1926. In 2000, Mervyl S. Melendez, (B-CU alumnus) was named as the head coach for the Wildcats' baseball program. He's the first B-CU head coach to win a MEAC title in his first season, and under his tutelage, the Wildcats baseball team has won seven conference championships in the last eight years (2000–2004, and 2006–2007). In 2007, the Wildcats finished the regular season with a record of 33–25, with notable wins against both University of Tennessee and Stetson University, as well as ranking No. 1 in the 2007 Black College Baseball poll.

The Marching Wildcats (The Pride) of Bethune-Cookman create the "BCU" formation while playing before a packed Citrus Bowl Stadium at the Florida Classic.

The Marching Wildcats are a 325 member unit that includes instrumentalists, the Sophisticat Flag Corps and the 14 Karat Gold dancers. Known as "The Pride," the band is under the direction of a Bethune-Cookman alumnus and former Marching Wildcat, Donovan V. Wells.

The 14 Karat Gold dancers are featured performers in all engagements of the Marching Wildcats and occasionally perform as a solo act. The 14 Karat Gold dancers can be seen frequently in BET video clips promoting Black colleges.

Performances

The Marching Wildcats perform pre-game and halftime shows at all home games of the Fighting Wildcats football team. Games played in neutral sites where Bethune-Cookman University is deemed the home team, The Pride also performs a traditional pre-game show.

The Pride's leadership

Donovan Wells

Director of College Bands

James Poitier

Associate Director and Arranger

Pedro Orey

Assistant Director and Percussion Instructor

Ernest Hamilton

Auxiliary Instructor

Horatio Walker

Announcer

The Pride has been featured in numerous events, including televised performances. On January 26, 2008, the band performed in its fifth Honda Battle of the Bands showcase of HBCU bands in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference representative. In December 2005, a small group of The Pride's percussion section filmed a commercial unveiling the new Cadillac DTS. The commercial made its debut in February 2006 and continued air play throughout the rest of the year. Immediately following the band's January 2005 performance at the Honda Battle of the Bands, the event's producers nominated The Pride to be featured in the Super Bowl special episode of the Emmy-winning The Ellen DeGeneres Show. "The Pride" also made an appearance in the 2002 film Drumline.